Bulldogs go to the air to beat Trojans
BERWICK — As Berwick rushed for over 450 yards, accounting for all of its offense in a blowout win over Hanover Area two weeks ago, coach CJ Curry knew for success to continue, the offense had to throw the ball.
Fast forward to Friday night against Nanticoke and he got his wish with wide receiver converted into quarterback Billy Hanson connecting with three different players for touchdowns in a 41-0 beating of Nanticoke.
The scores came in a 4-minute, 3-second span with his first two coming 11 seconds apart thanks to Skyler Nevel's abilities to corral the ball, both in the air and on the ground.
A flag nullified a 45-yard touchdown between Nevel and Hanson, but it didn't stop Curry or Hanson from believing the play would work again. Three plays later, they drew up the same route and had the same result from 28 yards, with no Trojan within 10 of Nevel for his and Hanson's first varsity touchdown.
"It was wide open the first time, no one had it," Hanson said. "So me and Curry decided to do it again and nobody covered it again, so it just ended up good."
Nevel then recovered Landon Hules' fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting the Bulldogs up at the Trojans' 25-yard line.
Hanson, oozing confidence from his previous throw, decided to show off his arm again. This time Julian Howie came down with a jump ball, beating Trojans' Dennis Hall for his first career touchdown reception.
"It was great watching Billy gain confidence in himself as a quarterback," Curry said. "You envision him as a wildcat quarterback with his speed, but we knew for us to compete he's going to have to throw the ball. He's taking it very serious at practice and has improved and absorbed a lot of information."
The two connected for the game's longest pass on the Bulldogs' next possession. Facing fourth-and-10, Hanson hit Howie for 48 yards and had Berwick knocking on the door for its fifth touchdown of the opening half.
Following a spike, Hanson then found a safety valve with running back Ty'Meere Wilkerson on a flat. Wilkerson came down with a high pass and ended the exciting play with a dive into the end zone.
The 5-for-10, 122-yard performance didn't come overnight for Hanson.
"I just got thrown at quarterback and it was two weeks of straight practicing on the mental grind that comes with it," he said. "I think I got the technique down after only playing the position for four weeks after playing receiver my whole life. I think it comes naturally as an athlete, but I have to thank [former Berwick great] Dave Robbins for coaching me and helping me with everything."
It also doesn't hurt to have Wilkerson's exciting 100-meter gold medalist speed to give the Trojans something else to consider.
"It's so relaxing to know that I can hand the ball off and he can go off for 10 yards," Hanson said of Wilkerson. "I can hand the ball off and go get the next play while he does his thing."
The initial handoff paid off quicker than Wilkerson's first step in the spring. Working ways to get him the ball, Berwick went with a wildcat formation, and Wilkerson took the direct snap 37 yards on a sweep on its first play from scrimmage.
Later in the first quarter, Wilkerson took another direct snap and waited for his blocks to set up before making an explosive 70-yard run for a touchdown. Nobody was within 15 yards when it was all said and done.
"We want our playmakers and athletes to get the ball, and tried it since the Hanover game," Wilkerson said of the wildcat. "We're finding creative ways to get the ball to all of our playmakers."
Wilkerson finished with 177 yards rushing on 13 carries.
Just as dominant as the high-scoring offense — which also got a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Ashton Smith — was the Bulldogs' defense. Seen closing rushing lanes and getting into the backfield all night, Berwick held the Trojans to 33 rushing yards on 31 attempts. The Bulldogs also allowed just 13 passing yards for 46 total yards and two first downs in their first shutout since Sept. 10, 2022, against Abington Heights.
"To go from a whole different offensive scheme from Week 3 and put up 40-plus points twice and get our first defensive shutout in 755 days in Berwick is really impressive," Curry said. "Their back [Treston Allen] has gotten off some big runs this year, but for us to do some nice things tackling and get that shutout is really nice. I'm really proud of the boys and coaches."
The only blemish against an aggressive style of play was the 12 penalties for 74 yards.
Honoring Scott Dennis
Before the game, both teams honored the late Scott Dennis, who passed away from a heart attack in August just before assuming duties as coach of the Trojans. Dennis, a longtime assistant at Berwick is someone Curry says "had such an impact on me" from when Dennis coached him on the freshman team.
The teams walked onto the field as Dennis' sons Roy and Scott Jr. and his grandson, who did the honorary coin flip, met with the captains.
On the Trojans' first snap, everybody, including players and coaches on the sidelines took a knee in Scott Dennis' honor.
The Bulldogs put decals with "SD" on the back of their helmets for the remainder of the season.
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